Fish&Fly - Adventure Fly Fishing: European Anglers Call for Tighter Controls on Salmon Farms
European Anglers Call for Tighter Controls on Salmon Farms
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Editor on 04/09/2013 15:57:00
A resolution passed at the general assembly of the European Anglers Alliance
(EAA), representing the interests of 3 million recreational anglers across 13
European nations, demands that all farmed Atlantic salmon should be produced in
closed or contained farm systems.
The EAA has urged all fish farming nations across Europe to pursue rapid
development towards sustainability to reduce the impact on wild salmon
populations, and urges policy makers to use the 'precautionary principle' and
'polluter pays principle' to ease the transition towards more environmentally
friendly and sustainable salmon farming practices.
The alliance argues that closed or contained systems, either at sea or on land,
would reduce the infestation of sea lice among farmed fish, reduce the risk of
farmed fish escaping into the environment and dramatically reduce the damage
done by waste, pollutants and chemical residues from disease treatment entering
the natural environment.
“It may come as a surprise to most people that in many rivers there are more
farmed than wild salmon," said EAA secretary general Jan Kappel. "The escaped
farmed fish compete with and genetically pollute our wild salmon stocks. It is
well known that sea lice spread from the salmon farms and harm wild salmon
stocks.
To our greatest surprise Norway has banned recreational angling in the
Hardangerfjord where salmon stocks have declined due to the impact from
extensive salmon farming. This doesn’t make sense. The polluter should be
managed before other legitimate and sustainable users like recreational anglers
are denied access to what used to be healthy salmon stocks.”
The EAA's comes in the wake of continued controversy over the proposed Galway
Bay organic salmon farm, which if green-lighted would be the largest aquaculture
facility of its kind in Europe.